Description

Version 2 now uploaded. Generate STLs from the version 2 scad to get the version 2 changes. NOTE: To do this you must have configuration.scad from the prusa git repo in the same directory as gregs-wade-v2.scad so that bolt and nut sizes defined in that file can be used.

This is an extruder based strongly on the wades from the Prusa git repo. It has several features over the standard wade:

Accessible hobbing. If you strip the filament, there is no need to disassemble in any way (such as removing the idler/filament or bolt) in order to remove the stripped plastic from the hobbing. You can get a needle in the hole in the top and scrape it out.

The motor can be removed without removing the large gear. The three mounting screws can be accessed without removing the gear. 2 of them are clearly accessible and the other is accessible through a hole in the gear.

The rotated motor mount means that the carriage attachment screw is accessible with the motor installed.

The rotated motor mount also means that the clearance past the idler attachment captive nuts is a bit longer, so you have a bit more play tensioning the idler.

The motor is far enough back from the face that the small gear can be mounted with the hub towards the motor (necessary with short shafted motors) and it will mesh with the large gear when there is only 1 washer between the bearing and the large gear.

The large gear has a shallow nut trap so that locking halfnuts can be used with hobbed threaded rod (infinitely adjustable hob alignment) rather than a bolt.

The motor mount screws are recessed allowing the large gear to be almost against the face of the extruder body.

Moved the top captive nuts for the idler screws closer to the idler so that you can screw the idler bolts in further

Made the motor mount slots go a further 1mm away from the hobbed bolt (as requested by spacexula)

Added the framework for hotend mount supports (I still need people to tell me what their particular hotend mounting needs are). Each hotend defines its holes assuming that the extruder block is sitting vertical with the filament exit hole at [0,0,0]).

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Instructions

Individual STLs are provided as well as print plates to print the idler and body in one go with standard settings and both gears in one go with fine settings. The STLs are for version 1. Generate new STLs from the scad to get the new changes

Depending on your hotend, you may need to add hotend-specific mounting holes. The mount has been designed for a hotend I am working on with my father.

I've been playing with this for a few days now... I think it definitely has some room for improvemeny.

first, the things I like:

-less plastic

-angled motor mount

-access to the idler nuts.

But I'm having real issues with the filament staying where it needs to be, the combination of only having one bolt on of the idler + the lateral space + the lack of a filament guide allows the filament to travle to the side of the idler bearing at which time extrusion stops. Not sure of the right
solution for it yet, still playing with it.

Im working on a change that has the idler block hinged at the bottom and cliped on with a bulldog/foldback clip at the top (instead of screws/springs). This will mean that I can no longer open access to the hobbing from the idler side, but instead can do so from the top on the motor side, This will mean that the filament guide hole can be restored. It'll also mean very fast filament swaps, and no more difficult to obtain springs!

that would be great! I have been working with it some more... I have a little filament guide in the top as a separate peice that takes care of the feeding problem, but now have issues with changing filament. I can;t follow behind it with anther filament like I have in the past, one the junction between both filaments passes the pinch the bottom one buckles but keeps the hole block while the top one jams along side it, I think this is just a position of the filament hole below the pinch, but there might be something that can be done to improve the chance of it making it in there. BTW, I plan to post a derivative soon with some of these ideas. Also, It would be nice to incorporate the mixture of holes for the standard hot end and bfb hot end as well, like the current ver of the prusa extruder block.

nice work. One question, is this drive compatible with original wade drive wrt hobbed bolt? Can one use the hobbed bolt from Wade's extruder (centre of the "groove" is ~25mm from the bottom edge of the bot's head), or a new bolt needs to be hobbed?

It should work one way or the other. If the gears don't align the standard way, you should be able to put the nut on the gear end and use the appropriate number/thickness of washers under the bolt head to get the hobbing in the right spot.

Can I request a change? The bearing protrudes through the idler. Can you "fatten" the depth of the idler by say 7/32 ~ 5.5 mm this would cover the bering entirely. I will then make a one screw tension adjuster and share it here. Also you could add a space for the 4th screw. With a cut out to drop a nut in from the side like the small gear uses. Great design - I printed this out an am working on assembling it now. :)

The hole for the 4th idler screw has been added in the v2 script. I'm not sure what you are requesting regarding the idler. You want the idler to be thicker so that the entire idler bearing is encased? You would then lose the ability to see if the idler is turning (which can be one way to detect filament slip).

Are you asking me to add support for mounting that extruder? You will have to tell me the mounting geometry requirements (or better yet, download V2 so you can see how I define modules for the holes for extruders and write some openscad code to define the holes you want).

If you read the Instructions: "Depending on your hotend, you may need to add hotend-specific mounting holes. The mount has been designed for a hotend I am working on with my father". Our hotend screws into a plate that mounts to the extruder using the extruder mounting holes.

There are a variety of hotends available, most with different mounting techniques. I dont own any commercial hotends. I am preparing version 2 of this extruder which will allow you to specify your hotend mounting style as a argument to the module that generates the extruder body, but I need people to let me know their hotend mounting requirements to do this.

The holes are supposed to have a small membrane over them. This allows skeinforge to bridge straight across the void when printing it rather than trying to do a curve in mid air resulting in a mess. The holes are easily drilled out and the result is a much neater print.

I will take on board the other suggestions regarding limiting some of the holes so that they are no longer than they actually need to be. I have started doing that already for the next version that will have options for hotend mounting holes.

I think it should be easier to load. Ill find out when I get the hobbed threaded rod. Since you can see the point of the pinch between the idler and the hobbing, it should be easy to poke a bit of filament in there, and you will know that it is lining up properly because you can see it.

Wow that is a nice color combo! I never even finished making my wade because I ran into so many problems. Hopefully this design will fix them for me. Any reason why the small gear is printed upside down?

Printed upside down so that the teeth are printed at the same time as the teeth on the big gear and they have time to cool. If the small gear was printed on its own you would probably have problems with tooth definition because the layers had not cooled sufficiently to be rigid when the next layer was being applied.